Tasmania was made for winter. The colder months bring crackling fires, dark skies, long lunches, wild coastlines and the kind of experiences that feel even better when there’s a chill in the air.
Across the state, the Off Season is packed with thoughtful stays, immersive food experiences, cosy retreats and regional adventures designed to make the most of winter rather than escape it.
This year’s lineup is a reminder that some of Tasmania’s best experiences happen when the temperature drops. You can soak beneath the stars outside Richmond, hand fill your own whisky bottle in the north, wander through west coast rainforest searching for fungi or settle into a heritage cottage with nowhere else to be.
Best of all, these experiences are spread across every corner of the state, making winter the perfect excuse to take the long way somewhere and see Tasmania a little differently.
Here are 24 reasons to experience the Off Season for yourself, in partnership with Tourism Tasmania.
Selkie Wellness
Spend 90 slow minutes moving through a beautifully considered ritual of warmth and contrast in Selkie Wellness’s east coast Wellness Garden. Drift between sauna heat and ice bathing cold before settling in for a luxurious DIY facial using Australian botanicals, finished with a warming house made pepperberry chai. An Off Season exclusive designed to leave you feeling rested, restored and fully immersed in winter.
Brave the winter sunrise ritual, earn your glow.
Piermont Retreat
Two night August stays at Piermont Retreat include a Winter Ritual Set with fluffy robes, warming tea and aromatic kunzea body oil designed for crisp east coast mornings. Wake before sunrise, wrap yourself in a robe and head down to Great Oyster Bay for an invigorating winter dip as the first light hits the Hazards. Back in your room, warm tea and richly scented body oil turn the whole experience into something restorative, energising and distinctly Tasmanian.
Winter at the museum
St Helens History Room
Spend an hour exploring the stories and maritime history that helped shape St Helens and Tasmania’s east coast. Free entry throughout August gives visitors access to changing exhibitions filled with local fishing history, stories of early settlement and the people who built this coastal community. Afterwards, step back out into the beaches, bushland and sea views that continue to define the region today.
Campfire confessions of a wilderness walker
Craggy Peaks Wilderness Cabins
Stay two nights and settle in for a third night free among the trails of the Fingal Valley. Spend your days exploring the surrounding wilderness before returning to the firepit each evening for marshmallows, hot chocolate and stories shared around the flames. Every guest receives a souvenir enamel Craggy mug to take home, while resident quolls and clear winter skies make the whole experience feel even more memorable.
Stargazing and distilling deep dive
McHenry Distillery
Go behind the scenes at Australia’s southernmost grain to glass distillery and discover the process behind McHenry’s single malt whisky and award winning gin. Learn how grains are transformed into richly flavoured spirits before finishing the evening with a telescope-guided stargazing experience beneath Tasmania’s famously dark winter skies.
It’s bloody cold Mary: a bathhouse ritual
Arden Retreat
Arden Bathhouse embraces winter in all the right ways. Set just outside historic Richmond, this four hour self guided bathhouse ritual moves between the deep warmth of a wood fired sauna, invigorating cold plunges and steaming outdoor hot tubs beneath the stars. A Bloody Mary in hand only adds to the experience. Available from 4.30pm to 8.30pm with fixed pricing for groups of one to six people.
Explore Tasmania’s chilling convict history
Richmond Gaol
Step inside Australia’s oldest intact gaol and discover the stories held within its convict built sandstone walls. Wander through solitary confinement cells, chain gang sleeping quarters and historic flogging yards while learning about inmates including Ikey Solomon, believed to have inspired Dickens’ Fagin in Oliver Twist. Winter adds an extra layer of atmosphere to this self guided experience. Mention Off Season for 10 per cent off entry.
Winter revival eco-farm retreat
Myrtle Creek Farm
Tucked into the Collinsvale hills just outside Hobart, this 1914 heritage eco cottage offers a deeply restorative winter escape. Guests can enjoy private sauna rituals, cold plunge therapy in one of two creeks running through the property, onsite massages and a seasonal welcome basket, all surrounded by misty mornings, fireside comfort and peaceful bushland.
Sea to Sky: dark sky seafood cruise
Tasmanian Wild Seafood Adventures
Board a spacious catamaran in Margate and cruise through the D’Entrecasteaux Channel beneath Tasmania’s winter night skies. The evening begins with hot gin cider before moving into a seafood focused dinner featuring abalone, oysters, scallop pie, winter soup and apple cake, all served alongside stories of southern skies and local sea life as Hobart’s city lights appear in the distance.
Pasta-making culinary villa retreat
Prospect Country House
Spend two midweek nights in a beautifully restored Georgian villa in Richmond while learning to make pasta by hand alongside a chef. The winter package includes sparkling wine on arrival, breakfast daily, afternoon tea, an Estate Range wine tasting at Pooley Wines and a tour of the convict built 1830 villa. A late checkout rounds out a stay designed for long meals and slow winter mornings.
Stay 3, pay 2: a winter stay steeped in history
Brickendon Estate
Slow down with three nights in a cosy colonial cottage at Brickendon Estate while only paying for two. Wake to frosty Georgian gardens and hearty breakfast provisions before exploring the estate’s convict built barns and historic farm village. Entry to Brickendon Historic Farm and Convict Village is included with every stay, making it easy to settle into the rhythms of one of Tasmania’s most remarkable heritage properties.
Behind the taps
Little Rivers Brewing Co.
Settle in beside the fire at Little Rivers Brewing Co. and work your way through a curated five beer tasting paddle brewed using Tasmanian malt, hops, yeast and water. Alongside the beers, the team shares the stories behind the brewery’s beginnings, favourite batches and small town roots. Guests can also take home a mixed four pack of favourites for an additional $15.
Devil dominance
Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary
Go behind the scenes at Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary for an unforgettable encounter with one of Tasmania’s most iconic native animals. Guests are guided into a quiet den to hand feed Tasmanian devils before experiencing the remarkable strength and energy of these extraordinary creatures up close in a game of tug-o-war. Available exclusively for visitors aged 18 and over.
Behind the warmth – woollen mill winter tour
Waverley Mills – Australia’s Last Woollen Mill
Step inside Tasmania’s last working woollen mill and watch raw wool being spun and woven into finished pieces destined for homes around the country. The guided Behind the Warmth Tour includes a limited edition calico tote, collectable ticket, bookmark and a $50 Mill Store voucher to use with purchases over $250. Tours run Monday, Wednesday and Friday throughout winter.
Rosevears whisky: grain to glass premium experience
Turner Stillhouse
Experience an immersive journey through the making of Rosevears Whisky, from Tasmanian grain to the final pour in your glass. The experience includes a welcome drink, guided distillery tour, whisky talk and tasting, plus a premium Tasmanian cheese and meat board served alongside the session. Guests also have the opportunity to hand fill and label their own 500ml bottle of Rosevears Whisky directly from the barrel to take home.
The midnight milk vat escape
Eagles Nest Retreat
Swap the usual dinner and movie for a winter stay beside Mount Roland, complete with steaming outdoor baths, misty lakeside views and roaring indoor fires. Spend the evening soaking beneath expansive night skies filled with stars before retreating indoors to warmth and comfort. Guests staying two nights receive 15 per cent off their stay.
Taste the Tarkine with hot shells and spicy sips
Tarkine Fresh Oysters
Warm up with Tarkine Fresh Oysters’ winter exclusive pairing of baked oysters and a bold Bloody Mary oyster shooter. Rich, warming and full of flavour, this Off Season special is designed for cool north-west coast days and fresh Tasmanian seafood cravings.
A day in the life of a truffle hunter
The Truffledore
Join truffle growers Timo and Ina for an immersive winter experience during peak black truffle harvest season. Meet the truffle dogs, learn about training techniques and take part in a real truffle hunt before settling in for a feast built around your freshly unearthed finds. The experience includes a two night cottage stay, all meals and drinks served with meals, with places limited to just four guests.
Duck River Pavilions signature experience
Duck River Meadows Robotic Dairy & Cheese Tour
Explore Circular Head’s rich farming region on this guided winter tour through the Duck River robotic dairy and La Cantara Artisan Cheese factory. The experience includes artisan cheese tastings, Leche Fresca milk, local Blue Hills honey and house made scones served three ways at the Pavilion Cafe before finishing with a visit to the Circular Head Heritage Centre. Winter rain and green paddocks make the whole region feel especially vibrant at this time of year.
Summit to shaft: winter underground
Risby Cove Boutique Hotel
Travel from the frost dusted summit of Mount Owen into the preserved tunnels of the Jukes copper mine in a single unforgettable winter day. The experience includes alpine 4WD access, rainforest walks, gold panning and ore sampling before descending underground for a lantern lit miners’ crib lunch featuring hearty Tasmanian dishes and hot spiced cider. Available exclusively for Risby Cove guests.
On-train winter dessert upgrade
West Coast Wilderness Railway
Every passenger aboard the West Coast Wilderness Railway can now enjoy a chocolate coated leatherwood honey ice cream created by Pure Pops and curated by Rodney Dunn of the Agrarian Kitchen. Finished with Tasman Sea Salt, this winter dessert is served onboard or at the station depending on your journey.
Corinna Fungi Month photography workshop
Corinna Wilderness Village
Join expert mycologist Alison Pouliot and nature photographer Luke O’Brien for a guided fungi workshop deep within the west coast rainforest. Explore Corinna’s damp winter wilderness searching for fascinating fungi species while learning identification techniques and photography tips from two leading experts in the field. Accommodation is included, with multiple workshop dates available throughout May 2026.
Write letters at Strahan’s pop-up post office
Huon Pine Shop and Gallery
Escape the winter weather in Strahan and settle into a quiet writing corner complete with a Huon pine desk, stationery and envelopes ready for use. Write a letter to someone special, post it through the Huon pine post box and browse the gallery’s collection of locally crafted timber wares while you’re there.
Track the lost ledger of Frank Long
The Lazy Prospector
Step into a self guided mystery through the streets of Zeehan as you follow clues connected to the lost ledger of legendary prospector Frank Long. The experience includes a three night minimum stay, complimentary West Coast Heritage Centre double pass, an adventure pack with clues and night lights, plus a special reward for guests who solve the mystery.
The Off Season is one of the best times to experience Tasmania a little differently. Regional towns feel cosier, the pace slows down and winter brings a sense of atmosphere that makes everything from a simple road trip to a long lunch feel more satisfying. Whether it’s a night beside the fire, a west coast adventure, a cold water plunge or a weekend built entirely around good food and wine, these experiences prove there’s plenty worth getting out for this winter.
